At a glance

Your chance to

Try the local goulash soup and apfel strudel at well-earned rest stops

At a glance

7 nights at the family-run Hotel Wienerhof

5 days cross-country skiing

Different grades on different dates from beginners to intermediates

Mix of flat easy loipe to challenging ascents/descents

Ski through authentic Tyrolean scenery

Just south of historic Innsbruck, our base is the pretty and traditional village of Trins, set at 1233m. This quaint village allows access to a large variety of skiing areas in the surrounding valleys: the Gschnitztal and Obernbergtal to the West towards the Stubai mountains and the Schmirntal to the East rising into the Zillertal Alps. After a hard day's skiing through quiet Tyrolean valleys, we can relax in our lovely hotel, where the bar awaits us with afternoon tea and fresh cakes.

Itinerary

2Day 2Our week includes five days of cross-country skiing through three different areas, exploring meadows, woods, quiet villages and working farms. There is also one free day during the week.

We prefer not to specify in advance where we will ski each day. This is to enhance the flexibility and adapt to weather and snow conditions and to some extent the ability of each group. When choosing routes, the leader's priority will be to take in a variety of scenery and to ensure that participants become better and more confident skiers as the week progresses.
Examples of skiing options:
From Trins skiing routes gently rise up through meadows and woods to the head of the valley - ideal for beginners. Up at 1700m is Mariawaldrast, a unique mountain location that combines high-altitude skiing and a former medieval Servite monastery. There's a welcoming cafe too, where you may well be served by the last remaining monk. In the picturesque Schmirntal, our routes pass quiet villages and working farms. Almost as untouched is the Obernbergtal, where we ski past the beautiful church of St Nikolaus.See more images and videos

3Day 3The second of our guided ski tours, see the detailed description on for skiing possibilities.

Today should see us progress slightly further afield, enjoying the variety of terrain in the area, see detailed descriptions of day 2 for possible skiing options.See more images and videos

4Day 4Armed with growing confidence and skill we head out for another day of guided skiing, see the detailed description on for skiing possibilities.

Your images

Adult Group

This is a small group adult holiday. The group is usually between 4 and 16 in size, with an average of 12 like-minded clients booking individually, in a couple or as friends together.

Activity level

You may be a total beginner or an experienced cross-country skier. Many destinations offer different level weeks or multi-grade skiing on the same week. Choose from ‘Classic’ and ‘Skate’ style holidays, or even a ski marathon race for the ultimate winter challenge. See below for more grading details.

What's included

What's included

All breakfasts, 7 dinners

All accommodation

London flights (if booking incl. flights)

Airport transfers

What's not included

Ski hire

Travel insurance

Single accommodation - FREE (limited availability)

Accommodation details

Hotel Wienerhof - 3 Star

Our comfortable base is situated in the heart of the village of Trins. This family-run hotel has rooms in 2 separate buildings: the traditional main building has a cosy dining room and separate bar, while just across the narrow village street the second, more modern, building houses a sauna and enhanced relaxation area. Austrian-twin and single rooms have shower and WC and may be in either buildings. By using a family-run hotel as well as local ski hire shop and transport companies, we ensure that our stay in Trins is run in a responsible way and benefits the local communities.

Essential info

Vaccinations and Visa
No visa required for British passport holders.
There are no specific health risks. Holiday style

Cross-country skiing is an increasingly popular winter pastime. Compared to those used for downhill, the skis are longer, thinner and lighter with bindings that allow you to lift up your heel. Most cross-country skiing is undertaken on prepared tracks (loipe) covering flat and hillier terrain, enabling you explore the winter landscapes away from the confines of the alpine pistes.
In Trins, there are three grades of skiing offered, ranging from beginner to intermediate and advanced. Availability varies and depending on the dates there may be one leader offering cross-country skiing and one leader running our Winter Walking trip (see tour code CAT for details). Please check the grade of skiing that applies to your selected week.

Your Safety:
All active winter holidays involve some element of risk, from a possible slip on an icy pavement to the possibility of sustaining an injury as a result of the winter activities. Exodus does everything it can to safeguard against any dangers however participants must be prepared to accept some level of risk as part of the holiday. Please refer to the 'risk of injury' section at the back of the Winter Activities brochure or the online FAQs for this trip for further information.
On the first few days of a beginner's cross-country skiing course your instructor will choose the trails and terrain carefully, avoiding steep slopes. In spite of this you should expect to fall over on the flat! Unlike downhill skiing, where falls can happen at speed, most cross-country falls happen at slow speeds or from an almost static position and cause no injury. In the rare case that an injury is sustained this may, at worst, involve broken bones. When properly instructed, cross-country skiing is a safe and enjoyable sport.

Grade 1 - Beginners. Recommended for beginners or those who feel the need to improve basic techniques. We teach you the essentials and explore gently undulating terrain. All or most skiing is on prepared tracks. More experienced skiers are welcome, but please be aware that the pace will be set for the beginners. Towards the end of the holiday you might ski 10 - 15km or more a day, at a gentle pace.

Grade 2 - Improvers/confident beginners. A mix of flat and hillier terrain. Grade 2 weeks are for people who have enjoyed a Grade 1 holiday, grasped the snowplough and now want to improve technique. We ski a little more quickly and over more challenging terrain than on a grade 1 trip.
Acceptable for newcomers to cross-country skiing, but you should be very fit and proficient in sports that develop balance: ice skating, roller-skating or downhill skiing. Most of the skiing will be on tracks but there may be some off-track skiing.

Grade 2+ - Intermediates (unsuitable for beginners) On these holidays there is not enough flat terrain for us to accept beginners. Suitable for clients who have done a couple of weeks with us, have developed their snowplough and can cope fairly confidently with undulating tracks.

Eating & drinking

Breakfast and evening meals are included in this trip. An ample buffet breakfast prepares us for the exertions of the day ahead. The excellent evening meals draw on Austrian traditions. Complimentary afternoon tea and cakes are also served.

Trip notes

Download the detailed trip notes for everything you could possibly want to know about this trip, including
detailed itinerary and full kit list

Weather & seasonality

Trins is situated at 1200m and at this height snow can lie from December to mid-March, with fresh snowfalls at any time. Average daytime temperatures in winter are around -5degC, though they can fall as low as -15degC with approx. 8 to 10 hours of daylight. At all times of the winter you can hope for periods of clear bright weather and in February and March it can become surprisingly warm in the sun.

Gallery

Reviews & community

For me and my wife it was our first experience in cross-country skiing. Currently living in Israel we do not have recent experience with any winter sports, so for us it was completely new territory. The Exodus Israeli representative helped us organize the trip including the flight tickets and insurance. We flew through Munich, then traveled by train to Innsbruck (1:40) where we met the group leader and the other members of the group. Apart from me and my wife, the rest members of the group were single, but it worked well for all of us. I saw reviews were people complain that the village of Trins is small and it does not provide any attractions, but we did not feel as missing anything. The daily schedule included breakfast at 7:30 - 8:30, depending on where we were going to ski, then a short travel, ski session, coffee break, more skiing, lunch, then skiing again and we were usually back at the hotel at around 4:30-5pm for a tea session. Later we had some free time and then meeting again at the hotel restaurant at around 7pm for a drink and then dinner and e were staying together till 10pm, sometimes even later. It never felt like we were missing something.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Most of us started as absolute beginners and it was quite visible during the first day when we learned the basics on an very easy terrain. On the second day there was major improvement and till the end of the day all of us were dealing with the downhills which were the hardest part of all. Those that have experience with downhill skiing had some advantage, but we were all able to deal with the terrain. We all get better and better and on the last day our leader took us on a very challenging circuit, but it just made for a great experience for us. The snow was not very fast which made the conditions perfect for our level and it was a day we wanted that never ends. The group also bonded very well and we had a great time and a lot of fun on that last evening.
I also want to mention the food, both the breakfast and dinners at the hotel and the restaurants we went to for lunch, the food was very good and where we had to pay for it (coffee breaks and lunch), the prices were very reasonable.
A nice touch was the so called responsible tourism which gave us a good feeling when we were spending money supporting the local family run businesses.

What did you think of your group leader?

Bob is a good person, very experienced and knowledgeable (he even knew about DNS which is computer related :-)) and he was definitely a factor for the overall experience. He was choosing the best locations for the type of activity we needed, for learning or just using what we have leaned. He knows the area very well, the language and the local food and he was helpful whether choosing lunch, adding more activities or choosing how to spend the rest day. He was also part of the jokes we shared and contributed a lot for the good time we had.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Me and my wife consider ourselves fit, we practice and compete in cycling and rowing, occasionally do running, yoga and go the the gym. Despite that we felt our muscles sore on the first 2-3 days. We are 35,39 years and the rest of the group were either our age or older (someone was was over 70), but we all did well even if it was a bit demanding for some people. I forgot to mention we did the grade 1 vacation, although I am always looking for more and wanted skip it and start with grade 2. At the end it was not that bad, one day we started a bit earlier than the rest and added few more kilometers, other days we were hanging at the back of the group and we were running back and forth adding even more distance.
The equipment is important, usually your ski/snowboard trousers and jackets will be too warm for this specific activity. As others previously pointed you usually need few layers of clothing, base layer, then long sleeves shirt, softshell jacket. I also had a (sleeveless) gilet in my backpack to either use instead of the softshell or under it and I never felt too warm or cold.
One guy decided it was not his type of activity because he had problems with his balance on the downhill sections which in my opinion were not so long, fast or scary, but everyone should consider it for themselves. As I said the rest of the group did just fine. There was enough to explore by walk in the area and it felt like he did fine.
A very good point to choose this vacation is that almost every day we were skiing in different location. It probably depends on the snow conditions, but it actually adds a lot and it's not boring as doing loops on the same tracks every day.
We found the hotel very good. I did not see the rest of the rooms, but we were in a double room and it was big. The rooms and the restaurant part were well warmed and it felt good only wearing a t-shirt.
There was Internet connectivity in the hotel and we had no major problems, it took sometime to connect, but then it worked well.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We had very good time. We liked the cross-country ski experience and we are already looking for our next cross-country ski vacation. As a novices, both in the sport and without previous knowledge in the area (or any similar location) choosing Exodus was very good choice, the whole trip was well organized and they saved us all the planning. Bob was with us all the time and was good leader in every aspect.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

the skiing on the last day

What did you think of your group leader?

the best!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

As a regular client of Exodus x/c skiing holidays, and in discussion with similar folk, there is a clear wish that Exodus should consider creating some new venues in addition to the limited range it currently offers.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

not a useful question.

What did you think of your group leader?

Bob is an excellent leader. Extremely well organised. Keen for us to get the most out of our week by reviewing and building on our skills. My visit to this area was enhanced by his knowledge and experience of living and working in the Tirol.

Questions about your trip

Pick your question

Can I make my own way to Trins?

The start hotel is approximately 1 hour from Innsbruck airport and will cost around 10 Euros to reach by public transport. You can also get there from other cities and airports, please contact for more details.

What is the hotel in Trins like?

Hotel Wienerhof is a comfortable base situated in the heart of the village of Trins. The traditional main building has a cosy dining room and separate bar, while just across the narrow village street the modern annexe houses a sauna and enhanced relaxation area (no charge) along with the opportunity for a massage (not included).

The hotel is renowned for its food; most evenings we have three choices of main course, plus a vegetarian option, and there is always a plentiful salad buffet. Complimentary tea, coffee and cake are served each afternoon. Austrian-twin and single rooms have shower and WC and may be in either the main building or the annexe. All rooms are equipped with TV, telephone, hair dryer and code operated safe.

A word of warning about Austria for people sharing ‘twin-bedded rooms’: these often contain a single unit with two separate mattresses and separate bedding; it is not usually possible to move them apart, though it may sometimes be possible to add an extra bed - please check with us if this is important to you. It is possible to share a room with someone on the concurrent winter walking holiday.

Rachel George - Customer Operations

Do I need previous experience of cross country skiing?

No, it's not essential, although any previous experience will be a bonus! There are different weeks specially graded for beginners, so make sure you pick the correct week to begin with. It should specify in the brochure and on the website but if you're not sure, just contact Exodus. If there are 2 different grades happening in the same week, you can sometimes switch to a higher grade towards the end of the week if you feel you have gained sufficient experience.

Danuta Janik - Customer Operations

What kind of luggage should I take?

There's really no restiction, whatever feels comfortable for you. Whether that's a wheelie case or a rucksack, you won't be carrying it too far so don't worry!

Amanda Ceraolo - Product Manager

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